The process of transferring the seal of the Dark God went much smoother than expected.
According to Erginus, the entity was much weaker than when it was originally sealed, to the point where it couldn’t even put up a struggle.
“If it weren’t absolutely necessary for our plans, I would have erased its existence entirely,” Erginus said, eyeing the seal with a touch of regret, though he did nothing to act on it.
“Lady Alrn, Apostle of the Goddess, please channel your divine energy into the seal,” he continued.
“How am I supposed to understand that? Pathetic wizard, can’t you even explain properly?” Lucy responded, her tone mocking.
“All you need to do is infuse it with divine energy,” Erginus clarified.
“Oh. That’s what you meant? You should’ve just said so earlier. There wouldn’t have been any strange outbursts if you did.”
Following his instructions, Lucy infused the seal with divine energy. Almost immediately, something inside the seal writhed, but after a short time, the entity within was neutralized. The immense energy of the Dark God’s master likely crushed it from within.
“Good enough, I suppose,” Lucy muttered as she stepped back, just as the perverted apostle made a strange noise and placed his hand on the seal.
“Go die. No, I find even the thought of your corpse repulsive. Just bury your head in the seal and disappear. Be erased from this world. Please.”
I couldn’t help but show sincere contempt at his expression, but the perverted apostle merely grinned and muttered his thanks, clearly unfazed by my disdain.
Ugh! I really hate him! Why does he only act like this with me? If you’re going to be a pervert, at least spread it around to others!
“Lady Alrn is correct. The power of the Dark God has only been disturbed; there’s nothing wrong with the dungeon itself.”
While I was still ranting at the perverted apostle, Erginus nodded, having likely come to a conclusion.
“Has it, over time, become a self-contained environment?”
Hmm, not sure, but I guess it means everything’s fine?
Ah, thank goodness. If something had gone wrong in the dungeon, my heart would’ve been racing with panic.
Having achieved our objective, we left the dungeon city, which was still in a state of chaos, and returned to the Art Guild.
Erginus had decided that, given the circumstances, there was no better place to store the seal of the Dark God.
“Lucy, you’re bad.”
It was there, back at the Art Guild, that I realized I had taken away Freya’s mentor.
Ah, right. Freya said she was going to learn something from the swordsman, didn’t she?
She even brought the Kent family head along—looks like she really prepared for this.
“Sorry. That fool of a swordsman is so pathetic, I’ve already forgotten what he said. Take him back. That old perverted woman is no longer needed.”
“...Lady Alrn, that’s a bit too much, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. Lucy is really bad.”
“What’s the problem? Did I say anything wrong?”
As I shrugged off Freya and the swordsman’s complaints, I caught Kent’s eyes, which were turning pale, as he grabbed both of Freya’s arms.
“F-Freya. I think the swordsman has some business with you, so we should step aside for a bit.”
“But Lucy said everything.”
“I mean, yes, but...”
Kent, with a complicated expression, looked at the swordsman and, knowing Freya was struggling, forcibly pulled her into his arms. From the way he looked at the swordsman, it seemed like he understood what the swordsman thought of Benedict.
Hmm.
“Foolish papa.”
“Huh? What is it, Lucy?”
“Go play with the fool swordsman and the old man pervert over there. I’m getting tired of hearing the pathetic whining, and I feel like I should shut them up.”
Well, I had received help, and Freya, being part of the same party, should probably become a bit stronger, so for now, throwing Benedict into the mix was probably a good idea.
Look, you can see the delight on Yuden’s face the moment I said that. It’s disgusting how women like her target married men.
“...Huh?”
“What? You don’t want to listen to your cute daughter’s request? You’ve always said you liked Lucy, but that was all just empty words, wasn’t it?”
“No, it’s not like that...”
“Fine. Fine. It’s alright. Stupid papa. Do whatever you want. What can I, a mere girl, possibly force you to do? You might even eat me with that big mouth of yours, who knows?”
“You’ve never heard me refuse! I’ll do it! What can’t I do for our adorable daughter’s friends?!”
The moment he changed his tone, Benedict’s eyes widened in surprise. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the cold sweat running down his forehead.
“Really, papa’s a fool♡ Do I really have to say it out loud?♡”
“I’m sorry! Lucy! I’ll be more careful next time!”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Benedict was cast aside between them. I quickly stepped onto the magic circle to teleport out of the Art Guild, hoping to escape from the perverts there as soon as possible.
“Grandfather. You’ve been training, and it reminded me, didn’t you get advice from the God of Martial Arts last time? Did you gain any insight?”
<I was just thinking about when to bring it up. Haven’t we had enough to do up until now?>
“Did you have any breakthroughs?”
<Yes. Prepare yourself. What you’re about to learn is martial arts greater than you can imagine.>
Oh wow. My grandfather, a hero from the mythic era, is teaching me martial arts so great that even he can confidently call it legendary?
With such confidence, I can’t help but get my hopes up! If I’m disappointed, I’ll make sure to show it!
<But we need to finish our tasks first. There’s still a lot to prepare.>
“...Please don’t hit me with reality just yet.”
The high hopes that rose, only to crash back down, left me sighing as I returned to the academy streets. There was still much to be done.
The Duke of Burrow, lord of the Burrow domain, prided himself on having experienced just about everything.
From power struggles for the title of Duke, wars with other nations, battles to conquer S-class dungeons, marriage, the funeral of a beloved son, and the days he spent in a state of despair, to the recent event where he had even lost his physical form to the Dark God—he thought there was no one who had lived a more colorful life than he had.
Thus, the Duke believed he would not be easily surprised by anything.
Even if the God of Creation descended to this world once again, he thought he would simply nod in acknowledgment.
However, that was the Duke’s delusion.
He had no idea he was already in the eye of the storm, thinking that the calm within the storm was something he could handle.
“Yes. I have repaid the favor from last time, so I promised to cooperate with Lady Alrn no matter what she does,” the Duke muttered to himself.
The debt the Duke owed Lucy Alrn was not merely about saving his life.
She had stopped the Burrow family from being tainted by the sins of history.
She had saved his son, who had been twisted by his wrongdoings, from hell.
She had prevented the people in his domain from being sacrificed to the Dark God.
She had restored the purity of the Burrow domain, which had been stained by darkness, to its original form.
The most surprising thing was that, despite providing such immense salvation, Lucy had never once asked for anything in return.
Even if he had to give his life, he would have gladly agreed, but instead of boasting about her achievements, Lucy had tried to keep her identity hidden.
She had sent her subordinates to keep her presence under the surface.
Did Lucy Alrn know? That such actions only made her reputation stronger?
The day when Karion, whom they had thought dead, came to see him and smiled, telling him not to speak a word—that was the day the Duke decided he would cooperate with whatever Lucy Alrn chose to do.
Even if it meant risking his family, he would follow her will.
It wasn’t just to repay her kindness. It was because he believed that Lucy Alrn, the savior with her name, could lead the world toward a better direction, just as she had pulled his son and others from darkness into the light.
However...
“I never imagined this would hurt my stomach,” the Duke muttered as he looked at the paper in front of him.
He sighed deeply without realizing it.
The paper listed the participants for today’s meeting in the Burrow estate.
At the top of the list were the two queens of the kingdom.
Even though they hadn’t married into the royal family, their noble bloodlines had earned them the title of queen, and they were among the few people whom the Duke had to bow to.
Next on the list was the Duke of Partlan, who carried with him strange rumors and a rough appearance that made him seem like a ruler of the underworld. The Duke of Burrow knew the truth, that Partlan was an ordinary person, but still, he was a Duke and not someone to be met casually.
And below them were Benedick Alrn, the Hero and sharpest sword of Soladin, and Count Arteas, a wealthy man who controlled a quarter of the kingdom's trade.
Though they ranked one step below the Duke in title, their power and prestige were so great that the Duke could not treat them lightly.
Even if they were to be invited as guests, the Duke would have to show the utmost respect.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
Up until now, the names on the list had already been enough to make the Duke’s stomach churn, but the list didn’t end there.
There was also the saint of the God of Creation, the most renowned woman on the continent, Feibi.
The greatest swordsman on the continent, the Sword Saint.
And, most terrifying of all, the Apostle of the Art Guild, a massive religious organization so powerful that even the Church of the God of Creation dared not confront it.
Then, there was the legendary figure known as the sharpest fang and the owner of another forest.
And to top it all off, there was Karion, the one who had made the Duke’s heart race several times in the past.
“...I’m supposed to face all of them in one sitting?”
The Duke imagined the lengthy meeting hall filled with these figures, and he could feel his life expectancy shrinking.
“So, you’re saying I can’t handle it?”